Teaching Philosophy 

 

My role as a teacher is to provide a stimulating learning environment where students can grow academically, emotionally, and socially. It is important to create this type of atmosphere where students can meet their full potential. I will provide a safe environment where students are welcome to share their ideas, be themselves, and take risks. It is of paramount importance to assist students to express themselves and accept themselves for who they are, as well as embrace the differences of others. My primary role as an educator is to prepare my students to be high-functioning members of society after they leave the educational realm, regardless of what their roles and occupations may be.

 

Our students deserve to have an education that is student-centered. For our students to learn, they must be engaged in their own educational process. Having students at the core of their own learning process necessitates their collaboration by allowing them to have a say about what they are learning, how they are learning, and exhibit that learning. I plan to create a collaborative learning environment where students can enhance their learning experience through helping and working with each other. This approach will not only engage students to process and synthesize information and concepts to gain a more complete understanding, it will also create a culturally inclusive classroom community that fosters a sense of belonging and respect.

 

Fourteen years of teaching experience have taught me to apply three principal concepts for students to be better violin players: playing physically at ease, visualizing sound, and playing musically. 

• Holding the violin wrongly can be painful which limits the player’s full abilities. The wrong posture may cause neck, shoulder, and wrist pain that can go worse with time. Students may have a hard time creating music they desire because they have not found their most comfortable balanced posture. Having a good posture is like the surface of a whiteboard where an artist freely converts her ideas into creative arts. 

• Visualizing sound is the next step. Drawing tools like crayons, pencils, and brushes represent the different types of techniques players should be able to use properly. When a player starts distinguishing sound to the point of visualizing it, this means that the player has reached an advanced level of musicality. Hence, having subtleties of sound helps students play as soloists and in ensembles.

• Playing musically conveys emotions and feelings. When players successfully express their emotions through music, the audience appreciates the music. Playing violin should elicit a particular emotional response to the listener. 

My role as a violin teacher is to work with my students to have these concepts met. The purpose of my teaching is to see my students capable of making beautiful music with a greater sense of direction and story. 

Every classroom represents its own unique community. Therefore, as an educator, my role will be to assist and guide each student in developing their own potential and learning styles. I believe that teaching styles must be flexible to support all students. Everybody learns in different ways, and as a teacher, my job is to make those different ways possible.

 

The sole purpose of education is to prepare students to be high-functioning members of society and help establish a well-rounded and stimulating community. Accordingly, teaching music is important because it can improve an individual’s mood and general perspective on life, hence improving the quality of life. Playing violin teaches valuable traits such as creativity, discipline, flexibility, and the ability to collaborate. Violin students can use these characteristics outside the educational realm and contribute to the betterment of humanity and society. Music education is an effective way to engage culturally diverse students. As a bilingual, I think I can reap the social benefits of communicating with diverse students. 

 

Finally, my job as a violin teacher is to be a mediator of music knowledge and prepare students to be successful members of society. Through teaching violin, I will engage students in activities that can foster their creativity, flexibility, discipline, and collaborative senses. Lastly, I will create an environment where cultural diversity is embraced and valued through collaborative learning.